


Truth or Perception

by motherbearof3



Series: The Detective & The Defense Attorney [6]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Angstober Prompt, Barba & Rita are besties, Calhola, Established Relationship, F/M, Implied Barson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-22 06:55:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20870048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/motherbearof3/pseuds/motherbearof3
Summary: Angstober Prompt: “Truth hurts, doesn’t it?” Given to me by Barsonaddict on tumblr with the Calhola pairing.But there is truth and there is perceived truth. Which is it in this case?





	Truth or Perception

**Author's Note:**

> A few notes: 
> 
> This fits into the Calhola universe I have created and makes reference to my WIP The Start of Something New, but you don't have to read it to understand this. Of course I'd love it if you did!
> 
> Many thanks to Dick Wolf and his crew, and especially Warren Leight for creating the canon that Rita and Barba went to law school together. That fact, even thought we've never seen it mentioned on screen, has opened up so many possibilities for we fan fiction writers!
> 
> Also, sometimes my titles are inspired. Other times they're trash. This one falls into the trash category. Rated T+ for language. Because if you don't think these two don't drop the f-bomb regularly outside of work, you're crazy.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?"

Rita spun on the ball of her foot and walked away, leaving Fin standing there on the sidewalk. 

"Rita!" he called after her, but seasoned New Yorker that she was, the woman melted into the crowds of people going in both directions and disappeared. Even if he ran after her, he probably wouldn’t find her.

"Dammit," Fin growled, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

He fingered his phone and thought about trying to call her, but knew she wouldn’t answer. That was the most pissed off and hurt he had seen her since they started dating, and it was all his fault. Turning around, he walked slowly in the opposite direction, thinking about how he could make it right.

After walking briskly for about two blocks and realizing Fin hadn’t chased after her, Rita began to slow her steps. Finally she stopped altogether and approached a cab that was idling at the curb; a rarity, but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Sliding into the back seat, she gave her address and leaned back. The angry tears she’d been fighting back worked their way to the surface of her eyes, and she brushed them away with her finger tips. As fierce as she was in the courtroom, Rita Calhoun disliked confrontation in her personal life. So she had avoided mentioning the fact that she and the SVU sergeant had been dating each other for more than six months and she had yet to meet his family. Jaden didn’t count, and the only reason she’d met Fin’s grandson was because she’d shown up at his apartment unannounced one weekend and he’d been babysitting. She knew his relationship with his ex-wife was, well, odd and didn’t really expect him to introduce the two women, regardless of how long they’d been divorced, but Rita fully expected to have met his son Ken and his husband Alejandro by now. Fin talked about them all the time, full of proud grandfather stories about Jaden. But no. Every time she brought it up or suggested they all get together, the man had an excuse. They had even celebrated the holidays separately. They saw each other on Christmas Eve, but when he came up with a reason why they couldn’t spend Christmas Day together, she’d been hurt and fabricated a case that was going to trial after the first of the year that she needed to get a jump on and assured him she would be fine. Then she sat at home and watched a marathon of movies on the Hallmark channel and ate ice cream from the carton with her phone turned off. This time she had simply suggested they have Ken, Alejandro and Jaden over for dinner. Maybe invite Rafael, Olivia and Noah so the little boys could keep each other company. But he had a reason not to do that. Again. So she finally lashed out and accused him of not wanting his family to know he was dating a white woman with an upper class background who was a high priced lawyer. 

She clenched her fists in her lap, not knowing if she was more angry or hurt at the thought her accusation was right. When she’d said it to him, he didn’t try and deny it. That’s when she threw the jab about the truth and walked away. Rita wasn’t stupid. As diverse as New York City was, the odds of two people as different as she and Fin were -- race notwithstanding even -- making a relationship work for the long term were low. But there was a small part of her that had held out hope. Brushing away more escaped tears and fishing around in her bag for her phone, Rita called a pre-programmed number. When the familiar voice answered, she choked out, “Rafi, are you home?”

Rafael Barba was at his own place, but not for much longer. He was finishing packing up what was going into storage when he moved in with Olivia and Noah the following week.

“I am. What’s wrong?”

He had known Rita too long not to be able to tell she was trying hard not to breakdown.

“I’ll tell you when I get there.”

She ended the call and gave the cabbie a different address.

In his apartment, Rafael lowered the phone and narrowed his eyes at the person who had arrived at his door moments before.

“What did you do, sergeant?”

Fin knew that Barba knew his girlfriend better than anyone and thought he might be able to tell him how to help him fix things. He’d just been invited in when the other man’s phone rang. Now he knew who had been on the other end of the call.

“That’s why I’m here,” he said, opening his arms, palms up in supplication. “I fucked up, Barba. I was hoping you could tell me how to make things right with Rita.”

Rafael looked at his watch. 

“You probably have less than ten minutes to explain what you did and then I’ll decide if you deserve my help.” 

He turned back to the box he was filling. 

“Talk while I pack.”

Fin explained what Rita had accused him of, what she’d said and what he hadn’t. The other man said nothing. The silence in the room was deafening as Rafael put books into a second box. He side eyed the other man and spoke without ceasing packing.

“How much do you care about Rita, Fin?”

Being called by name instead of detective by the ADA caught him off guard and he answered without thinking, which was Rafael’s intent. 

“A lot.”

He sat down in a nearby chair and realized with sudden clarity that’s what the problem was. He’d been avoiding introducing the woman to his family because that would mean admitting to himself -- and to her -- the depth of his feelings and risk not having them returned. Rita was the first woman he’d had a long term relationship with since his divorce. There’d been women he dated for a couple weeks, sometimes a month or two. He’d enjoyed the companionship and sometimes the sex, but there was never anyone he liked enough to continue seeing for any length of time. Until now. Rafael watched the figurative light go on in Fin’s head and was about to ask him to explain when his doorbell rang. He tipped his head and raised his eyebrows.

“Then you’d better tell her that.”

He went to the door and opened it to a Rita Calhoun he hadn’t seen in a long time. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her lips trembled when she saw him. She stepped inside and was about to throw her arms around her former classmate and sob into his faded Harvard t shirt when she saw movement over his shoulder as Fin rose from the chair. Her spine straightened with righteous indignation. Rafael was  _ her  _ friend.

“What is he doing here?” she whispered angrily. 

“It seems the two of you think I’m moonlighting as Dr. Phil on my day off,” he replied, turning sideways and looking back and forth between the couple, “since you both came here for relationship advice. And while I appreciate the confidence, I think Detective Tutuola has figured out what he needs to do.

“I’m going to go get more packing tape and stop over to see Liv and Noah. Lock up when you leave. You know where the spare key is, Rita.”

Rafael moved past her into the doorway then turned back.

“My bed is off limits. So is the couch. If you need a room, go to one of your own.”

He closed the door behind him.

The two remaining people in the apartment looked at each other in silence. Fin mentally kicked himself for being the reason the woman before him had tear stains on her face. He wanted to take her in his arms, but knew words needed to come before actions. She spoke first.

“I need a minute,” Rita said, and disappeared down the hall to where Fin surmised the bathroom was located.

When she returned, the streaks were gone from her face, but the redness around her eyes remained. She sat down on the couch across from the chair where he had been sitting, holding herself stiffly, as if she relaxed she would fall apart. Fin resumed his spot in the chair. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him, waiting for him to say something.

“You were right, Rita, I was avoiding introducing you to Ken and Alejandro,” he said. “But not for the reason you think,” he hastened to add when her eyes grew large. “Do you honestly think that my son -- a gay man -- cares if his father is in love with a white woman? Even if she did go to Harvard and has a yacht?”

She threw her hands up in aggravation.

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Odafin, I’ve told you this before, it was one of my  _ partner’s  _ yachts that Rafi and I were on that morning that Rollins first arrested Lewis, not…..” 

Another word besides yacht registered and she paused before finishing.

“......mine.” 

She looked at him, frowning. “Did you say love?”

“I did.” He didn’t quite smile, but his dimples showed when he spoke.

Fin moved to sit beside her, and took her hands in his.

“I know that I’m not as good with words as Barba, but believe me when I say I’m in love with you, counselor. You and your cat and your expensive shoes.

“But if I introduced you to my family, then I would have had to admit it to myself. Believe it or not, I haven’t been in love with anyone since Teresa and that didn’t end so well. So you could say I was a little gun shy.”

Rita didn’t know if she wasn’t understanding what he was saying or if he was talking in riddles.

“Why?”

“Why? ‘Cuz I didn’t really want to have my heart broken if you didn’t feel the same way and I haven’t exactly heard you sayin’ it.”

His face looked so earnest and sincere, with all his emotions laid bare. Rita pulled her hands free and cupped his face with them.

“Odafin Tutuola, for being an exceptionally smart detective, sometimes you are not a very smart man.”

She leaned in and kissed him gently. Then looking in his eyes said,

“I may not have said it either, but I think I have loved you since you went and got yourself shot before we were even a thing. Why do you think I was so upset when we didn’t spend the holidays together? All those times you made excuses so I couldn’t meet Ken and Alejandro, I thought you were ashamed of me.”

Her eyes filled with a fresh round of tears.

“Oh, Baby, no.”

Fin pulled her into his arms.

“I could never be ashamed of you. Don’t tell Barba this, but sometimes I think you’re a better lawyer than he is.”

She giggled against his chest. 

“I did teach him everything he knows.”

“I knew it.” 

He kissed the top of her head.

“I’m sorry I was stupid and stubborn,” he said.

“Me too.”

Rita pulled back and looked at Fin, a glint in her eye.

“Rafi didn’t say anything about the chair.”


End file.
